The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1887-05-12
WASHINGTON CHATTER.
LIABLE TO CUSTOMS DUTY.


WASHINGTON, May 6.-The collector
of customs at Marquette, Mich. in
forms the Treasury Department that a
contract for building the international
railroad bridge at the port Of the Sault
Ste Marie has been awarded to Cam
adian contractors, and asks how he
shall treat materials they will bring
into his district for use in the construc-
ton of the bridge. Assistant Secretary
Maynard has informed him, in reply,
that machinery, materials, etc., inn
ported by contractors and actually land
ed and used on the United States ter
ritory are liable to customs duty, but
that such of building materials as may
be used in the river and which are not
actually landed on United States terri.
tory are exempt from the payment of
duty. 1t is suggested, however that
the contractors give bond that none of
the materials exempted shall be landed
in the United States territory.
TO BE VIGOROUSLY PROSECUTED.
WASHINGTON, May 6.-It has recent
ly come to acknowledge of the COM
missioner of pensions that in some in
stances members of the board of exam
lining surgeons have presented false
accounts. General Black has expressed
his determination to yigol ously prose
cute such cases.
SEEKING INFORMATION.
The United States Geological Survey
has taken immediate action and pro-
poses collecting reliable information in
regard to the recent earthquake. in
Arizona. The plan is to send letters of
inquiry with printed questions relative
to the exact time the shocks were felt,
duration and any other particulars
which rive an idQa nf tho infQnSifU of
the shock, the apparent direction in
which the wave travelled, accompany
ing sounds, the effect on springs, wells,
contour, mountain ranges, etc. Great
reliance will be placed upon the volun-
tary assistance of correspondence,
newspapers, ETC., in the disturbed area,
which assistance resulted in the case
of the Charleston earthquake in the
accumulation of an immense amount
of valuable data.
MUST PAY DUTY.
WASHINGTON, May 5.-The Collector
of Customs at Portland, Maine, has
presented a question to the Treasury
Department involving the right of a
resident of Sherbrooke, Can, who had
contract for constructing twenty-five
miles of railway across the state of
Maine, to bring, free of duty, the tools
and implements he may require in the
els, crow-bars, scrapers, wheel-barrows,
etc. Assistant Secretary Maynard has
informed the Collector that inasmuch
as the contractor intends to bring in
articles temporarily and then return
them to Canada, and as they are to be
used by persons other than himself,
they are not entitled to free entry as
tools of trade, occupation or employ
ment of persons arriving in the United
hot 10 iGin
in the statutes which would authorize
the granting of his request. He also
informed the Collector that if the con-
tractor imports any animals into the
United States for work on the railroad
he must make entry and pay duty
thereon, provided the Collector finds
that such animals could have been
found in the United States.
HEADING OFF A FRAUD.
Assistant Secretary Maynard has in
structed the customs officers to see
that domestic cigars exported for the
purpose of being re-imported are not
admitted to entry under the provisions
of section $500, but to require them to
be turned over to the collectors of in
ternal revenue for such procedure as
may be found eXpedient under the In
ternal Revenue law. This action is
based on information that a system
exists of sending cigars manufactured
in San Francisco to Victoria, B. c.,
and then returning them to San Fran
cisco under provisions of section 2 800
revised statutes. They are then
stamped with customs stamps, bearing
the words domestic cigars re-import-
ed" A good market for these cigars
is found in st. Louis, where they are
usually sold as imported cigars. Pur-
chasers see the import stamps, but fail
to notice the inscription thereon.
POSTMASTERs APPOINTED.
WASHINGTON, May 5.-The Presi-
dent appointed the following post
masters to-day: John E. Chapman at
LaCygne, Kan, vice John p. Kene re-
signed; A. G.. Buchanan at Abilene,
Kan, vice William S. Hodge, removed.